Missing
by xXxCometxXx
Summary: Kai has been haunting Cloud with his memory ever since he left her - but when he suddenly returns with the Bladebreakers, Cloud begins to find her world spiralling out of control. Then the mystery of a missing sister arises and before long, Cloud has to go into the depths of hre past to find the missing pieces of life that she has left behind...
1. Before The Dawn

_**The following said story 'Missing' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09. **_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennel belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennels autobiographies exclusively belong to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters autobiographies.  
The storyline of the story 'Missing' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'Missing' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas.I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**I, Piscesgirl09, do not own Beyblade.  
**__**I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**Any who do so choose to plagiarise, copy or steal will in due course be struck off my Favourite Author's list if you do so exist on that very page. Any continuation to carry out the acts to plagiarise, copy and steal after warning will in due course be reported to the site FanFiction for an act felony.**_

_**If you wish to make a review and/or recommend my persons elsewhere, it is asked that you please do so with constructive advice for reviewing the work of Piscesgirl09 and/or to ask my express permission to recommending the person of Piscesgirl09 elsewhere other than the site of FanFiction.**_

_**Please read all of the above with due caution.**_

_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

"_KAI!" A female voice cried. Kai was on the edge of a cliff: he was waiting to jump._

"_Why did you leave me? Why? WHY?" The voice cried louder. Kai just stood, unable to move or speak: he knew what he had done. He took that step forward and fell slowly into the dark ocean beneath him. As he hit the raging waves, he slowly began sinking. The water clogged up his ears and he couldn't breath. He no longer wanted to._

"_Kai...come back to me..." The voice was quieter; full of pain and agony. Kai could no longer feel anything – he was dying. Then through the blur of the water. He saw her. The pale face that had a glow of its own, the shiny brown hair that glittered in the rays of sunshine through the water... and the deep blue eyes that were looking into his very soul._

* * *

"Ah!" Kai woke with a start: he was drenched in sweat; his heart was beating like a hammer on a bell in an alarm clock. _The same dream that has me haunted now and then from the past 3 or 4 years..._ Kai shuddered. He couldn't understand what the dream was about. He remembered it for the first time though – the memory of that nightmare had rattled him so much that he could never forget it. Even if her tried

It had been her standing at the edge of the cliff, murmuring his name: asking again and again why he left her, tears dripping from her face as she didn't lift a hand to wipe them away. He had been a ghost. As she had fallen he went down with her, trying to reach out to her. She slowly began dying under the angry waves – he was trying to call her; hold her but he still couldn't reach her. Then the dream ended when four glowing hands reached down into the water and saved her from a dreary fate.

"What have I done?" He whispered to himself, feeing a cold flood rush over him. He then quickly searched round the room to see if any of his team, the Bladebreakers, was awake. Never would he ever let them see him in this state of weakness – at the mercy of one small dream that has and maybe will always come back to get him when he's all alone.

Shaking off the feeling, he decided to get up and get on with his day. What was done had been done: he couldn't go back now. And he wouldn't. He had a new life now. _And it was for the best – both of us knew I couldn't stay..._ The bluenette thought – too full of pride to let anything make him doubt his decision – or so he thought.

_B__ut what is my life without her?_ Although he could do well without anyone in his life - being the independent soul that he was - he knew that most of his happiness came from just one person. Not because he depended on other people for it, but because their company and their understanding of him as a person is more than enough to keep his world spinning. The one person he left behind that very night when he had been forced to make a decision that he never thought he'd had to make.

The Russian had now been training outside the dojo for at least 2 hours, focusing on his Dranzer as he slowly managed to take his thoughts off that nightmare. He woke at exactly 6:23am – the same time he always woke at after that dream. It was 8:30 am. No signs of his teammates – or so he thought.

"Morning Kai!" A happy blond male came bobbing out of nowhere – it was Max. Whilst the amethyst eyed teen considered himself an early bird, he was definitely NOT a morning person. So naturally he could never understand why guys like the Turtle blader could have so much positive energy at this time in the morning. "So this is where you've been all this time. How long have you been up?"

"Hn." That was all the Phoenix blader replied, deciding not to look his teammate in the face – just in case his face told everyone pretty much what they needed to know about what had happened to him during the night. It was his favourite word because he often wasn't the most sociable of butterflies and he often just wanted to be left in peace with his beyblade or elsewhere.

"Ok – Ray's just making breakfast so come in whenever you want some – though you'd better be quick – we all know what Tyson and Daichi are like!" The aqua eyed male continued to speak cheerfully before bobbing off to go get one of Ray's delicious breakfast specials. True his word, the pair of hungry beasts in the team were already up and bounding towards the kitchen, yelling at each other in the process

_That kid never seems to stay pessimistic for long..._ The young Hiwatari shook his head knowingly. Max paired with Tyson and Daichi made the bright sparks of the group. Ray was also quite optimistic dude himself: he just kept himself in balance and always knew there was a time and a place for perhaps 'less than mature' behaviour. Hilary and Kenny were the backbones of the group: they gave 24/7 support with everything from basic needs right down to the mechanisms of a beyblade.

Kai did appreciate them all – but seeing as he didn't show it often, he wasn't about to make a point of showing it in a dramatic way. He had his own ways of showing appreciation, and the Bladebreakers knew that already. "Morg - ning Kai!" Tyson yelled happily with his mouth full whilst tucking into his breakfast, greeting his teammate as though he had forgotten the episode yesterday - where a certain 'Mr. Sourpuss' (Tyson's favourite nickname for the eldest of the group) had confiscated his beyblade by way of forcing him to do some proper training. Which did not go down very well for the rest of the afternoon.

_Great, I feel like it's going to be a good day already. Not..._The bluenette rolled his eyes. He was used to the navy haired teen's immaturity – but that wasn't to say that it didn't still annoy him. In fact, he probably would goes far to say that the Dragon blader was about the most irritating little shit he had ever met. And that for him was putting it politely. "Hn." Kai replied as he pulled out a seat, just about acknowledging his team.

"And to you too Kai." Ray and the team chuckled as they watched his lips curve into a small smirk. Everyone started to tuck into their breakfast as it was another day when they had to get started with their training – though they had no news from the BBA that another tournament was coming up yet. Before long, Daichi snatched some of Tyson's food from his plate.

"DAICHI!" Tyson yelled at the smaller red headed boy, his brown eyes narrowing with annoyance as he watched the youngest of the group stick his tongue out at him. Allowing his hot headed nature to get the better of him, Tyson leapt and started to chase Daichi round the dojo for his precious food. The rest of the group gave a huge sigh as they continued to try and eat their breakfast in peace.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU MONKEY BOY!" Tyson screeched. 'Try' had been the operative word here – in other words, the team knew that they weren't going to get any peace now that the arguments had already started.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Daichi screamed – quiet enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear in comparison to amount of other times that the local public was subjected to the sheer volume of noise that one small boy could astoundingly make. Kai growled quietly as he closed his eyes – but then the thought of no mornings without his teammate's habits to keep him awake made him inwardly smile even so. He just couldn't imagine his life without a typical morning at the dojo.

* * *

"I wonder what Mr. D wants. He must pretty busy now, right?" Ray commented: just after breakfast, they all received a telephone call from the chairman of the BBA, requesting that they come and meet him with some 'urgent' news to discuss. By now whilst heading towards the office, everyone wanted to know what the elder man had in store for them this time. Mr. Dickenson wouldn't tell them on the phone.

"I'm sure Mr. D has something nice for us all to expect – after all, he did say that as a treat he would organise something." Kenny smiled. After defeating Boris, Mr. Dickenson was permanently indebted to them all and always made sure that they were protected and were able to get as much enjoyment from their sport as possible. The whole team nodded in agreement. Well, maybe not Kai. But they all knew that his silence meant that he agreed with them.

They finally stopped outside the BBA HQ and went inside. They made their way through he building to Mr. Dickenson's office. The Chinese male knocked politely on the door; then a jolly 'come in!' from the senior was heard. They all opened the door and stepped in where he was waiting for them all with a bright smile on his face.

"Hello Bladebreakers! How are you?" Mr. Dickenson was now looking quite frail these days, which started worrying the team a bit. He had always provided for them all as if they were his own grandchildren – but even at is great age, he still managed to be his friendly, kind old self. But that didn't change the fact that he was getting older and one day, he wouldn't able to do it anymore. The Bladebreakers tried not to par on that thought.

"We're good thanks, Mr. D." Tyson grinned as plonked himself on the sofa with his teammates; the bluenette chose to lean himself against the wall in his cold stance as he usually did.

"Now I know you have all been wondering why you're here: I've arranged for you to go and stay with an ex-professional blader who can give you some VERY good skills and training. She's very talented and although she doesn't blade in competition's anymore, he still maintains her high skill." The BBA chairman sat carefully behind his desk and watched the reactions of the team.

"Sure why not? Always room to do better." The American replied optimistically, looking forward to meeting this 'ex-professional' blader.

"Also it means we get to meet new people – so we make new friends!" The White Tiger blader smiled.

"Who is this 'ex-professional blader then? Do we know her?" Hilary asked, wanting to know who the new female was – it would be nice that she might be able to have some female company for a while. She liked the boys very much and really appreciated the way they treated her as part of the family, but when the likes of Mariah, Emily, Julia, Mariam, Salima and Mathilda were around, she couldn't resist having some 'girl time' with them.

"Oh well, I suppose I could tell you; in fact it probably wouldn't take you long to find out anyway as all of your other friends are going as well for the training. Her name is Cloud Wilson." Mr. Dickenson finished. The Russian's eyes snapped open sharply as he looked at the elder male for a moment in horror. _No! It can't be – she can't have agreed to it – Mr. Dickenson knows our past! This isn't right!_His heart starting thumping: Cloud Wilson was the last person on this Earth he would be able to get on well with – in fact he wouldn't be able to stay in her sight! Let alone talk to her or even train with her!

"THE Cloud Wilson?" Daichi stuttered. Although the team didn't know of the amethyst eyed teen's situation, they had their own reservations. Cloud Wilson was well renowned for being very tough and very brutal: nobody messed around with her – ever. She was cold, strong and at times when someone pushed her too far: vicious. Nobody could get the better of that girl and everyone knew better than to try challenging her without a great deal of skill. Suffice to say, the Bladebreakers and their friends were going to have their hands full.

"Well...it can't be too bad: I mean yeah she's tough, but she's also been known to be very fair and I'm sure she can be quite fun sometimes as well if you get on her good side. She doesn't seem unreasonable either...so let's give it a shot." Ray concluded, trying to be give a balanced view on the subject: none of them really knew who she was truly as a person and until they finally meet her, who were they to judge her? _If only they knew... _Everyone nodded in agreement – except the Phoenix blader.

"Kai? You in?" Kenny asked as they all turned to look at the 17 year old male; now the young Hiwatari would have to take a huge gamble, because potentially if Cloud lost her temper and really went for it - she could kill him. And the last thing he wanted was to cause more distress. But then he also couldn't risk his teammates finding out the truth between him and the Total Eclipse leader. He took a quiet deep breath and regained his stature to mask his inner worry.

"If I must." He mumbled. He wanted to put across that he would give it a try because she was quite good in general and she might be worth the time – even though in his heart he knew that she wasn't just any old girl with good skill – she was the ultimate. He had never met any other female in his life who pushed herself so hard to achieve what she wanted, and in that he saw something of himself.

"Excellent! I have arranged for the plane at 8:00pm on Friday, so make sure you get plenty of rest and make sure you pack EXACTLY to the list you will be given." Mr. Dickenson clapped his hands together as he informed them of that information. The team weren't sure what to say for a moment – didn't the senior think they had enough sense to pack their own bags without needing to be told what?

"We're getting a list?" Hilary looked confused.

"It's not that I don't think you can't pack for yourselves! It's just that Cloud is very good at being organised – one thing that she's not always tolerant of from other's who are not close friends and family is not being able to supply the right equipment for the job when travelling. So she'll be expecting you to think ahead and you to think of the responsibilities and possibilities before you go to stay with her," Mr. Dickenson explained.

When he had finished, the team looked quite...nervous, "And Kai: I'd like to have a few moments please?" The said male sighed and stood waiting as his team exited the room. Once they were gone, he went and sat before Mr. Dickenson's desk.

"Now Kai, I understand your relationship between you and Cloud – but I can't afford for your team to miss out on this opportunity – both of us know that Cloud is a force to be reckoned with and that the team will benefit greatly from her expertise." Mr. Dickenson said quietly, looking at the dual-haired male before him – who was now looking lost.

"But you know she won't have me in her sight – let alone standing next to her in a training regime – and if she doesn't kill me right there and then, God knows what she'll do to me through training." Kai replied bitterly, surprising the old man – Kai was never one to even flinch, but to be sat there worrying about one girl who he had associated with before was quite daunting.

"Now come on, my boy, she can't surely be that bad? After all, both of us know she is very honourable when it comes to the sport and never pushes anyone else beyond their limitations." The BBA chairman was now trying to make light of it. He always tried to see good in people: he knew that both Kai and Cloud were good people, in fact what they did a lot of the time did much more good than most. The bluenette raised his head and looked the elder man straight in the eye.

"Believe me: I was the one who worked beside her when she trained her band mates and anyone who came under her wing. And she rarely went easy on someone when it came to training – only if they worked as hard as she did or more. She expects courage, sensibility, practicality, logic, thought, organisation, discipline, hard work and effort – and she won't let up until she knows you've run out of sweat and you've given every single ounce of what you got – even if it means you have to train for hours on end. When she knows that you are ready to be independent without her help in the big wide world: then she might relax the reins." When the Russian had finished, he took in the shocked expression on the old man's face.

"I suppose that it's no surprise: she has high standards and that should never be taken for granted," Mr Dickenson sighed, "But all I can say is you can't run away from her forever. If your friendship before was strong, why should you not try again now? She can't stay angry with you forever." The Phoenix blader knew that Mr. Dickenson was right in a sense. Yes, he should face up to Cloud instead of trying to constantly avoid her – but then when the dark haired female wants to be stubborn – she's not very easy to budge.

"I think she can. She's not one to give up easily; I did leave her – now she's turned colder than ever was before. I...I can't say I liked my decision though - but we both knew the circumstances and I couldn't take anymore risks in damaging her just because I wanted to stay," Kai paused, thinking about her lost face in the depths of the waters he constantly braved in his dreams, "But I will go." Mr. Dickenson looked mildly surprised, but then he expected nothing more from Kai. It would take more than hell to freeze over than for Kai to admit he was going to back out of a challenge – he had too much pride for that.

"Very well. I'm sorry I've had to relay this upon you at short notice...but you never know...she might forgive you because you came back." Mr. Dickenson said softly. Kai shook his head with his eyes closed.

"I doubt it." Was all he replied before getting up and leaving the office to get back to the dojo with the rest of the Bladebreakers. The BBA Chairman gave a very small sigh of relief as he sat back in his chair wearily, rubbing his tired eyes.

_I hope this works: I've been very worried about Cloud and Kai – the both of them need each other, it has been quite obvious for 4 years now – I just hope that if their old sparks of friendship are strong enough, they'll be reunited and happy again..._ HE thought sadly. He picked up the phone and dialled a number. A male voice answered the phone.

"Mr. Dickenson...what is the outcome?" The male spoke softly. Mr. Dickenson closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was no going back now.

"It is done. They will be on the plane to L.A. on Friday at 8:00pm. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting Harold – it has been so long." Mr. Dickenson said, there was a pause before the other male let out a breath. They had done it. They had finally found a way to bring two of the most well renowned bladers back together, and finally resolve all of the troubles that had come between them.

"I hope this works...I can't stand to see her hurting any longer because it's my fault. It's been 4 long years...and no words can describe how sorry I am for the damage. Thank you."

* * *

_**Piscesgirl09/xXxCometxXx:**__ Hello my peeps! Damn, this summer has given me some great time to improve on my stories so far! Hopefully each chapter that I do is getting better and better each time I practice – feedback appreciated as always and I hope you all enjoy the next updates coming up soon =) Thanks!_


	2. Stone

_**The following said story 'Missing' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09©.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennel belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennels autobiographies exclusively belong to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters autobiographies.  
The storyline of the story 'Missing' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'Missing' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas. **_

_**I, Piscesgirl09, do not own Beyblade.**_

_**I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**Any who do so choose to plagiarise, copy or steal will in due course be struck off my Favourite Author's list if you do so exist on that very page. Any continuation to carry out the acts to plagiarise, copy and steal after warning will in due course be reported to the site FanFiction for an act felony.**_

_**If you wish to make a review and/or recommend my persons elsewhere, it is asked that you please do so with constructive advice for reviewing the work of Piscesgirl09 and/or to ask my express permission to recommending the person of Piscesgirl09 elsewhere other than the site of FanFiction.**_

_**Please read all of the above with due caution.**_

_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

_Where's a fucking Red Bull when you need one?_ Cloud sighed heavily as she sat in the now boiling hot band practice room, on the chill out couch. She was hot, irritable and thirsty – a perfect combination to set off her bad mood.

She and her boys had been practicing for about 3 hours – it was 11am and they were still nowhere near where she wanted them to be. And they had a gig in about a month's time at their college. She wanted them well prepared.

A lot of people would say that Cloud pushed herself and her crew a bit too hard: but no one could discredit that she worked incredibly hard. Her arrogance and stubbornness was what often what drove people forward; but that wasn't often without occasionally breaking something or bursting into tears.

As Cloud picked up her blue electric guitar, she heard a chink of two tin cans. She turned round to see Mark standing there with two Red Bulls, smirking devilishly. "This what you wanted?" He said teasingly, tossing the can to her.

Cloud rolled her eyes and caught the can with ease in one hand and turned away, "Arsehole." She muttered, knowing that Mark would still hear it. Not that she really gave a shit at the moment. It had been a tiring morning and she wasn't in the mood for anything.

"AW, now that's not fair! You love me really!" Mark put on the cute act as he bounded over and jumped onto the chill out couch next to Cloud, nestling into her as he stared up at her with big puppy eyes.

If he was any other guy, she would've sent him packing with a black eye. But Mark was one of her best friends – she'd known for ages, so she was used to him cuddling up to her like he adored her. And some of the time, he was able to melt away her scowl.

She gave a small smile, and shifted to lie comfortably in her seat as she felt the sophomoric effect of the warm room set in, making her feel quite sleepy. Then there was a huge crash as she heard loud voices from downstairs in the kitchen.

"GIVE ME THE FUCKING CHOCOLATE!" A female voice screamed so loudly that the decibel could've perforated everyone's eardrum. _Here we go again…_ Cloud slapped her forehead – if it wasn't one person, it was another disturbing not even 5 seconds peace.

Cloud suddenly leaped up, throwing Mark to the ground with a loud thump, as she stormed out of the room to the top of the stairs. She bellowed to the top of her voice, "IF YOU DON'T FUCKING STOP THE SHIT, I'LL COME DOWN AND DO IT FOR YOU!"

Judging by the sudden yelps of surprise from downstairs, it sounded like the message got through pretty quickly. Cloud sighed loudly and made her way back to the couch, where Mark was sat sniggering. Despite the fact that she then punched him hard, he still could not stop laughing.

"Dunno what the fuck you're laughing at – you'll be next if you're not careful." Cloud muttered, even more pissed than when she had started. Mark took a gulp of air to subside some of his laughter and reached over to pat Cloud on the shoulder.

She flinched away from the younger boy, and sat with her Red Bull, still fuming. Mark then stopped completely and looked at Cloud for a moment. He then moved his eyes down to the floor in a feeble manner.

"Don't be like that Clo…please…" He tried consolidating with her, moving towards her again for a hug. She still wouldn't budge and kept her eyes averted away from his innocent gaze. She didn't like having to tell her friends off, but sometimes: they just didn't know the meaning of self-control.

And for another thing, she had a reputation. She wasn't going to let it change – not for anything. So that meant keeping on top with everything. And in order for her to stay that way, she needed her friends to do so as well. Not just for her own sake.

Cloud then felt Mark's head fall heavily on her shoulder, sighing slightly. "What's up with you?" She asked bluntly, for a moment forgetting that her voice sounded quite harsh and calloused. Mark looked at her blankly, before revealing a face that looked quite tired and fed up for once.

"C'mon Clo – what d'you want me to say? This angry teen thing is really beginning to get me down. I don't wanna see you unhappy all the time; I mean we still rock the house and all, but remember like it was before? We had FUN!" Mark said, letting it all roll off the tip of his tongue before he could stop it.

Cloud didn't say anything. She didn't need to: he was right. It was tiring having to put up a constant front. But then in the long run, it was better to keep all the good stuff in the inner sanctum and deal with all the shit for the most part, in her opinion. Then they would all have more time to have fun.

But whatever she felt, she wasn't about to admit to Mark that he may have a point. There was no turning back now; she'd made her choice in the past – now she was going to live with the responsibility. "If I'm that bad, then why are you still here? If it's really not that much fun, then piss off elsewhere – I'm sure someone else would rather put up you."

Even Cloud when she realised what she just said was surprised at how venomous and sarcastic the response was. And to add to it, she watched Mark as his eyes darkened in temper – which was something she had never really seen before. Maybe once or twice…but that was past history.

"Don't fucking start Clo! Stop acting like you're so hard done by – yeah, you've had some pretty nasty shit going on. But that was years ago and you've had plenty of time to make up for it! Instead, you make it your life goal to crush every single person who has a dream of following a good life in front of them because that's what you never got!" Mark bit back at her, equally – if not more – venomous than she had been. His face was now hardened by his rage and frustration.

Cloud eye's widened slightly in surprise as she felt the words hit home. It wasn't so much that Mark had been nasty about it on such a sudden occurrence, but the actual reality of what her life now was couldn't be farther from what had just been put in front of her.

As she blinked a bit more, her vision started to blur. Cloud immediately recognised that tears were about to fall from her eyes, but she couldn't understand why. Shouldn't she be grateful that somebody cared enough to tell her how it was instead of dodging round the subject? After all, she always said to her friends that the way to be sometimes was just to be honest.

She turned her head away slightly in a vain attempt to avoid Mark seeing her cry. But he'd already spotted it and began to regret his words slightly. He then pulled Cloud into a tight hug. "Hey hey hey…I'm sorry Clo, I didn't mean to do that. I'm just trying make you happy…" Cloud turned her head amount to look at Mark a moment, not quite understanding.

"When I say make you happy, I don't mean by what I did just now. But you can't really say that you wake up everyone with a joy in your heart that says – Actually, I have a good life; I have loads of things to be thankful for and I'm grateful to be alive?" Mark finished on a pause as he held Cloud gently, watching the tears flow down her cheeks.

Just as she was about to protest, Mark stopped her again, "And don't deny it, Clo. Everyone in the group can see it – you don't think we haven't noticed that every day, no matter what time without fail, that you look out of that window and wish that one day he might come back?"

Cloud felt stunned. Consciously, she never really thought about it – but she had caught herself a couple of times. Just thinking that maybe – just maybe – there would be a day when she would see him walk up that road towards her home…and she would forgive him…

Cloud sniffed slightly as she vaguely tried to wipe her eyes of the tears from her eyes, only to feel Mark pull her face up to look at him. He smiled gently as he wiped a tissue gently across her face and planted a small kiss on her forehead. Cloud sighed slowly and gave into Mark's embrace.

"We can all wish Mark…but that's why I am this way – I hoped, I wished, I even prayed for a normal life that I would so dearly love – but look where it got me. Virtually alone with a broken heart and a massive hole in my confidence.

"I would give anything in the world to be able to walk out of my door and know that I'm on the right track and so are my friends; that people would still respect me without fear and without trying to bring me down on a constant basis. But that's what life is." Cloud gulped in some air as she finished what she said, and fought the urge to suddenly sob out all her hopes, fears and dreams in front of Mark.

Mark placed to hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, bright blue meeting lively green, "Clo, you _can_ be that way. The only person stopping you is you – just because people stop fearing you and know that you're not all prefect doesn't mean they are all going to want to bring you down. That's what you have me and the others for: to be there for you through good and bad. You don't always have to go it alone."

Cloud slowly let it sink in. She guessed it was probably true: she _did_ have her friends. She had always been there for them, but she had never made any room for them to be there for her. By her own admission, that was the way she wanted it to be.

People often thought she was selfish – but once you looked into her behaviour and what she did, that was not the case. She cared deeply about the people close to her, and she by nature seemed to make it her business to help other's achieve their dreams before her own.

And now she was beginning to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she let go for a little bit… "Thank you." She murmured, hugging Mark gently. This took him completely by surprise as Cloud was far from the hugging type; but all the same, he smiled and hugged her back.

"If you tell anyone about this - you're fucking dead." He heard her mumble, pulling away from him as she stood up to straighten herself out. Mark shook his head ruefully – same old Cloud. Always dealt with everything practically – but he had to hand it to her: she was a very remarkable young woman. And he couldn't love her more for it.

"Hey Miss Opposite! Y'know me – lips are zipped!" He chuckled lightly, giving her the thumbs up. Cloud raised her eyebrows for a moment and said nothing, but just as Mark thought she was slipping back into her bad mood, she allowed herself to give the tiniest, most genuine of smiles that he had seen from her in a while.

"Piss off." She said, flipping him the finger before making her way towards the door. Mark laughed heartily and jumped up from the couch to go downstairs with her to find out what had gone on downstairs. Looks like the gang were going to be in for a long night.

* * *

**_Piscesgirl09_****: **_Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been trying to get all my oneshots and stories sorted, but hopefulyl now it's the Easter holidays - I'll have more time to get those done ^^ Hope this make ssatisfactory reading for now! I still need feedbacl if want to give it, and stay tuned fr Chapter 3 :) Thanks for reading!_


	3. Tearing At The Seams

_**The following said story 'Missing' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennel belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennels autobiographies exclusively belong to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters autobiographies.**_

_**The storyline of the story 'Missing' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.**_

_**The ideas put forward to the creation of 'Missing' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas.**_

_**I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**I, Piscesgirl09, do not own Beyblade.**_

_**Any who do so choose to plagiarise, copy or steal will in due course be struck off my Favourite Author's list if you do so exist on that very page. Any continuation to carry out the acts to plagiarise, copy and steal after warning will in due course be reported to the site FanFiction for an act felony.**_

_**If you wish to make a review and/or recommend my persons elsewhere, it is asked that you please do so with constructive advice for reviewing the work of Piscesgirl09 and/or to ask my express permission to recommending the person of Piscesgirl09 elsewhere other than the site of FanFiction.**_

_**Please read all of the above with due caution.**_

_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

The Bladebreakers and Mr. Dickenson stared up at the large mansion in complete silence. So this was where Total Eclipse were living? What appeared to be quite strange to the group was that the area was completely secluded - at least 5 miles from the nearest town. And the grounds were quite spectacular to say the least: acres of beautiful land surrounded by trees and countryside. They could only imagine how tranquil it must be to live here.

And yet that was what was most disconcerting about the whole atmosphere. Surely if there was a group of teens living here, there would be more people and the place would be more lively? But then Kai always remembered that Cloud was calm at best, stony at worst. She had always been a serious girl ever since he had met her - that was something he could definitely understand.

"Stanley!" A voice boomed cheerfully from the doorway of the mansion, as the Bladebreakers and Mr. Dickenson looked up to see an elderly man step forwards with a lively stride to greet them. He was a man with greying hair from where it was once dark; a healthy, robust composure and mischievous twinkling blue eyes.

The BBA chairman returned to greeting with a broad smile of his own. "Harold! How lovely to see you, and you're looking very well I must say! Has Miss Wilson been keeping you busy?" He asked pleasantly, shaking the fellow elder's hand.

"Thank you very much, old chap! As you can see my delightful granddaughter and the crew have made my stay very interesting to say the least!"

"Nothing less than expected then!" The two men chuckled as they thought about Cloud and her daring attitude.

As the two seniors exchanged pleasantries, the Bladebreakers were wearing looks of bewilderment. For all of them, they were stunned that Cloud hadn't come to welcome them - but even that thought was too frightening and the notion was quickly discarded. For another, they couldn't believe that the Total Eclipse leader's grandfather was living here - and seemed to be enjoying himself!

Kai, however, was most fascinated with the man himself - the resemblance to the legendary tomboy was quite extraordinary. In some ways he was so unlike the tomboy in his far more apparent optimistic personality - yet his proud stature and presence among others; the formality of his introduction and the grace of his gesture was something that tied the two Wilson's together very strongly.

"Bladebreakers, I would like you to meet Harold Wilson: Cloud's grandfather, and once an excellent beyblader himself." Mr. Dickinson announced as he turned to face the team. Harold Wilson regarded the team with a sweep of his eyes - the Russian felt his heart skip a beat as he felt those dark eyes scan all of them. The gesture was very similar to the way Cloud used to measure anyone she first met: he remembered that she always used to say it was like being an animal - sniffing out the ones you could trust, the ones who would be a challenge, the ones who would be the weaker link in the chain and the ones who would be an enemy.

That edge never failed to make the amethyst eyed teen slightly apprehensive. Grandfather Wilson then offered the group a friendly smile and made a gesture towards the front door. "Good to have you here kids! Come on in and we'll get you settled." He finally spoke, his voice confident and still cheerful. Without further word, the Bladebreakers picked up their bags and followed him in.

"Woah! Get a load of this place!" Tyson suddenly gasped, verbalizing everyone's complete surprise at the interior of the mansion: the décor was modern with a slight eccentric twist – most of the paneling was natural wood, with walls that were plain white with the odd portrait hung up here and there. The brightness of the place with the sun shining through made everything look new.

Harold gave a chuckle as he exchanged amused looks with the BBA chairman. "Indeed it is a very grand place! As you can probably guess, my granddaughter did quite a lot of the work along with her team – I must she has done a very fine job!" He explained, his tone hinting at the pride he had for his grandchild.

The Phoenix blader, despite himself, smiled a little. Typical Cloud. Whenever any project like this happened, she always drove it forward – her steely determination to have her way was certainly very admirable in a world where people didn't expect young women to take on such enterprises. She was her own woman, whether people liked it or not.

As his amethyst eyes scanned the place, he spotted something on the wall at the top of the staircase: a portrait. It was hand painted by the looks of it; he could just make out a signature on the bottom of it. What was most fascinating about the painting was obviously the picture that had been created – but there was something more beautiful and intriguing about it than he had ever seen in a picture before.

The picture was of two mythical creatures: the Phoenix and the Winged Unicorn. The two were rising from flames of bright orange and yellow that seemed to dance in flickers around them if you stared at it long enough – both creatures were entwined with each other, wings spread freely to soar. The bluenette was absolutely besotted with the picture.

Not just because it was an amazing portrait. But because the painting told a story – and Kai had a sneaky feeling he knew what that story was. And what it meant.

* * *

"Aw c'mon! That was a bloody cheap shot and still you get it in?" Mark exclaimed as he watched a blue colour ball trundle into the pocket of the pool table at less than 0.0001 miles per hour – unluckily for him, it wasn't his ball. It belonged to his opponent, Cal, who was standing with a huge smirk on his face.

The blond elder male chuckled as he ruffled his mate's hair and continued with his next shot. As the two continued to battle against each other, Jake and Cass were sat on the beanie bag chairs chatting away as they watched their friends. "Hey guys, d'you know where Grandpa went? I swear he was here this morning and now he's just disappeared." The blond haired female suddenly commented, sitting up from where she was sat.

The two boys playing pool looked up and shrugged. "Search me, Blondie! The old codger is probably trying to persuade little Miss Opposite to come out of her room today." The dark haired boy spoke up, giving them all a sly grin. They only called Harold an 'old codger' behind his back – because if they dared to say it to his face, it wouldn't be just Grandpa they would have to deal with.

"I wonder why Cloud has been so…I don't know lately – it's a bit worrying actually. The fact she now doesn't want to spend time with us; doesn't want to get up in the morning…" Jake said, looking distinctly uncomfortable whilst discussing the tomboy's recent decline in mood. None of the team liked to admit to each other they were worried about their leader – mainly because she had drummed into them that she didn't want them to worry about her.

The brown eyed female gave her boyfriend a hug as Mark returned to playing without saying a word. The taller male of the group cleared his throat. "Probably still getting over the fact that her dad ran off with that secretary. And her aunt died recently – they were quite close." He pointed out quietly, twiddling the pool cue between his fingers as he stared at the floor.

The golden eyed male gave a sigh as he wrapped his girlfriend in his arms and reclined into the beanie chairs. Cass gave a slight frown as she watched the boys go silent: all of their thoughts were with their friend, who to the inner sanctum was starting to turn slightly fragile. Anyone who upset her nowadays certainly heard about it a lot quicker – which was unusual for the Total Eclipse leader, she was one of those who would only have to raise any eyebrow and you knew you had done or said something wrong.

"She'll be alright, guys. We wouldn't be here without her, so let's just make sure we're here for her and hopefully she'll be better soon." The pixie faced female spoke softly, looking round at all of them for reassurance. After a moment's pause, they all nodded and the mood slowly began to cheer up a little.

Before they heard an almighty roar.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS HE DOING HERE?"

The group exchanged a look of blank horror. There was only one person that Cloud would ever talk to like that. Which meant they needed to get to her before murder happened. Without another word, they group were out and running towards the hallway…

* * *

The Bladebreakers stared up the staircase in mute fright as they were greeted with the explosion of sound. This was Cloud Wilson – she was certainly more extraordinary to look at in real life rather than on TV. Her presence and her power that she seemed to have over the household was absolutely inspiring; not only that, her anger only seemed to make her more beautiful.

The Russian looked up at her and found himself forgetting for a moment that his life was at risk: he couldn't help it – the way the fire of her temper lit up her eyes, brought colour to her face, made her hair seem to glow like embers of a flame – it was stunning. For another thing, he couldn't believe how she much had changed.

Although petite, she was taller and her exterior that was confident, strong was even more evident than he had ever known in her before. The young tomboy had changed dramatically since he had last seen her. But whether that was for the better, he found debatable. "You better give me one bloody good reason why I shouldn't rip your head off right now, Hiwatari!" The brunette looked directly at him, her voice low and menacing as her eyes found his.

The Phoenix blader said nothing as he stared into her dark eyes, unable to say a word. The blue eyed female then started to feel herself shake very badly as her blood began to boil with rage. At that moment, the crew had burst through the door. "CLOUD!" They exclaimed, Jake and Cal rushing to her side to restrain her just she was about to lunge at him.

Before anything else was said, Cloud's animal instinct to fight began to kick in: she first kneed elbowed the golden eyed male in the stomach and then kicked taller male in the groin. Mr. Dickenson and Harold didn't flinch as they watched the young girl beat two guys who were a lot bigger than she was without batting an eyelid. "Cloud." Grandfather Wilson stepped forward, his voice quiet but firm as he addressed his granddaughter.

The Winged Unicorn blader turned to look at grandfather with a murderous face, an eyebrow twitching. Then realization swept across her face as her blue orbs jumped between the two elder men. "So it was you two was it?"

"Cloud –"

"No, you two bloody listen to me right now! How dare you! This my house – I pay the fucking bills! And you think it's ok to invite people here without _my_ permission? And worst of all – you invite **him**?" She bellowed, pointing at Kai as though she would brandish a sword under his throat. Oh boy, the Bladebreakers thought, she was angry!

"Cloud, I know you're upset – that is understandable! But please listen to us and we can explain –"

"Oh don't worry – you will explaining things to me – or I swear to God, whether you call it against the law or not, there's going to be trouble!" Although in some regards it may have seemed a little dramatic, everyone in the hallway had a feeling that she wasn't joking. The BBA chairman and the elder Wilson exchanged slightly worried looks as they surveyed the young teen, with her teammates cowering behind her. One particular feature that stood out for everyone was the uncontrollable shaking in Cloud's fist.

Harold swallowed as he straightened himself out. "Cloud - you now leave me no other alternative. This team as you know are very formidable: they have travelled a long way to meet you and to learn from your expertise. So you owe them the opportunity of staying here." He spoke quietly, his voice deliberately controlled.

Cloud tossed her head as she continued to glare at her grandfather with those dangerously dark eyes. "And if I refuse?" She retorted spiritedly - by now the Bladebreakers could see why people found it so hard to find even ground with the tomboy. She just would not dominated by anyone, and whatever she said: it would go her way, somehow. Plus when she was angry, she was very unpleasant to deal with.

"Then you can explain to everyone why you refuse to have Mr. Hiwatari here under your roof." Grandfather Wilson's gaze never wavered as he stared long and hard at his granddaughter. The tomboy felt her eyeballs almost bulge out her skull as she stared back at her grandfather in disbelief.

Both she and Kai knew that it would go against almost every fibre of her being to admit to complete strangers what had happened all of those 3 years ago – one, because it was too personal and the blue eyed female was a very reserved character who only opened up when she trusted them. But secondly, the memory of why she was stood before the Russian as his enemy rather than a friend was too painful for her to bear.

"Oh so you're the boss now are you? Great - so now my house at is at the disposal to every Tom, Dick and bloody Harry on the street?" The brunette shot back sarcastically, still determined to try to change her grandfather's mind. But even now it was becoming clear that the pair of Wilsons were more alike in their stubbornness than ever. Just by the steely looks on their faces, neither were prepared to back down.

"No, Cloud. As you so kindly remind me, I am merely an inferior when it comes to the claim of the household here, as are the rest of our company here. However, I insist that you see reason and that you resolve this some other way. You know who you owe it to." Harold said pointedly, his eyes switching between the Winged Unicorn blader and the Phoenix blader.

The young Wilson bit her tongue as she was harshly reminded of how she had so far treated her guests: in fairness to the Bladebreakers, they didn't deserve to have been spoken to like she had done. Of course they had no idea had once been between her and the bluenette - so she just had to find an alternative solution.

Straightening herself out, she looked at her team for a moment. They merely looked back at her with pale faces as they waited for her to make a decision – she then turned her head in a controlled manner to look back at the Bladebreakers. Her eyes were now fixed stonily on the second eldest member of the team. Kai returned her gaze without flinching.

Although she was angry with him, she wished he would give her some sort of response. A sound, a movement, a flicker of expression - anything. Because it seemed to be hurting her more that he was staring at her with an empty face, as though anything they had been through together had meant nothing to him. Even deep down, maybe she still knew that somewhere that wasn't true.

Sighing heavily through her nose, she looked at the two seniors of the group and fixed them with a somewhat regal glare. "Very well. If you are so…insistent that I should resolve the situation: then I shall do it one way that we all should know best." Cloud spoke in a voice that sounded mechanical; calculating - as though she was now testing everyone's mettle.

The Bladebreakers then felt their blood drain from their faces as they realised what the Winged Unicorn blader was now insinuating, the Total Eclipse team mirroring their horror as they stared at their leader.

"A beyblade match."

* * *

**_Piscesgirl09 / xXxCometxXx:_ **_Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for 'Missing' up! Hopefully within the next few days or so the next chapter will be up as well (seeing as it's now in the process of being written!). Any comments or feedback are greatly appreciated as ever! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and stay tuned for chapter 4 =) Cheers my peeps!_


	4. Stuck In Time

_**The following said story 'Missing' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09©.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennel belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennels autobiographies exclusively belong to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters autobiographies.  
The storyline of the story 'Missing' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'Missing' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas. **_

_**I, Piscesgirl09, do not own Beyblade.**_

_**I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**Any who do so choose to plagiarise, copy or steal will in due course be struck off my Favourite Author's list if you do so exist on that very page. Any continuation to carry out the acts to plagiarise, copy and steal after warning will in due course be reported to the site FanFiction for an act felony.**_

_**If you wish to make a review and/or recommend my persons elsewhere, it is asked that you please do so with constructive advice for reviewing the work of Piscesgirl09 and/or to ask my express permission to recommending the person of Piscesgirl09 elsewhere other than the site of FanFiction.**_

_**Please read all of the above with due caution.**_

_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

Soon everyone was outside, preparing for the upcoming battle. And everyone knew it was going to be ferocious. "Clo, you're not seriously going to do this?" Cass said feebly, standing with Jake's arms around her tightly as she and the rest of the crew stood watching the young Wilson put on her extra kit that she always fought with - a sturdy pair of gloves that had lasted from when she was 11, and of course - her be blade and launcher.

In short, everyone was worried for both Cloud and Kai: the tomboy because she was wound up, angry and upset - an easy mixture to do damage - and the bluenette because he wasn't responding. In a sense, that seemed to be what was driving the dark haired female forward: she wanted to provoke something, _anything_, out of the Russian. And she wouldn't stop till she got something.

"I want you all to stay out of this. Including if either of us happens to lose control." The blue eyed female stated flatly, standing up straight as she addressed her team. Judging by the change in expressions, she knew that this command would shock her friends - after all, if anything like that happened to her or Kai: it could be very, very dangerous.

Cass again opened her mouth to protest, but Mark shushed her. Jake took a gulp, looking as though he had swallowed a fly. Cal was the only one who even managed to return his leader's gaze. "Very well." He replied quietly, his tone pretty much saying it for him - Don't come crying to us if it all goes wrong.

_Not that I would ever do that anyway…_The brunette thought. Seeing that her instructions had been understood, she moved swiftly towards the beydish. _Now it's time…_

In the meantime, the young Hiwatari too was preparing for the battle. He didn't want to do it, God help him, he really didn't want to. Why now? Why Cloud? But he knew that the time had been inevitable - the tomboy, who was as stubborn and strong willed as he was, would not give in easily. If it wasn't for feeling, then it would definitely be her pride.

"Kai you don't have to do this! There has to be some other way you can get her to agree to let you stay here!" Max protested for the umpteenth time in the last half hour, not being the only one who was now so worried about Kai that they were close to physically stopping him from going. Even though it was clear that the bluenette had made up his mind.

Looking up, the Russian saw that the blue eyed female was waiting for him by the dish. Swallowing the slight lump that developed in his throat, he turned to his team mates. "I have made my decision. As much as it is not ideal, I think you'll find this _is_ the only way to resolve things." The amethyst eyed teen spoke quietly, not quite meeting their eyes.

For once, the Dragon blader understood where his friend came from and did not bother to protest or argue with him. The navy haired teen gave Kai a slow nod. "Do what you have to do." Was all he said. Inwardly appreciating Tyson's support, the stoic Bladebreaker finally moved away from the group.

As he stood opposite his opponent, Kai had the sudden realisation that possibly for one of the few times in his life - he was quite nervous. It had been a long time since he had battled against Cloud: he had no idea of her power, and how much she had exercised it. Also, her demeanour revealed no kind of confidence or fear. Nothing. And that in itself was what was most discomfiting.

The tomboy on the other hand just couldn't summon her voice to say anything - it felt as though it was just her and the Russian stood in their own little dome, with everyone else looking in from the outside. But it didn't make her feel anymore confident. In fact, any anticipation she once had before had flown straight out of the window.

She knew the Phoenix blader was powerful in his own right, and that his skill was of the highest calibre - naturally he would put up a fight. This wasn't going to be easy. Straightening herself up, she motioned for Mark to come forward towards the be stadium as their referee - it was time to start.

The green eyed boy felt sick: he was worried not only about his team leader, but also the bluenette - once, he was angry with the amethyst eyed teen for what he did to his best friend. But today, Kai had proven them all wrong, as ever - he had the courage, the remorse and the sincerity to stand up to the blue eyed female once more and to tell her that she may also be wrong. And that, the small dark haired boy could admire him for.

"Bladers at the ready." Mark announced. The spectators braced themselves as the pair of bladers loaded their launchers - from where Mr. Dickenson, Hiro and Harold were watching from the balcony of the house - they could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. The brunette closed her eyes.

_This is it Moonlight…I need you now…please let us get through this…_ She thought, her heart starting to thump a bit harder with exhilaration. Opening her eyes, she met those of the Russian and froze. Those dark violet orbs still captivated her, dammit! Why was she feeling a wrench in her stomach by seeing his passive face? Why couldn't she just focus on what needed to be done, rather than staring at him as though he were a puzzle she wanted to solve?

_Because you want to forgive him._

Shaking her head slightly, Cloud came back to her senses and prepared to go. Kai followed suit. "Here we go." Hiro muttered, leaning on the edge of the balcony as he watched the intensity grow between them as he watched the couple intently. He knew there was something more than what met the eye - it had been clear since the tomboy's initial introduction; that something must have happened before some time ago. And the eldest Granger brother was determined to find out.

"3 - 2 - 1 - let it rip!"

And so it began - the bladers launched their be blades into the dish with virtually perfect execution. As the beyblades collided, everyone could feel the power waves surging from the ferocity being thrown into the match. Even the Phoenix and Winged Unicorn blader were surprised at the sheer power that they were creating and was being emitted across the beydish.

"AH!" The Bladebreakers and Total Eclipse teams exclaimed as the force of the power surges started to knock them completely down to the floor; Hiro, Mr. Dickenson and Mr. Wilson clung helplessly to the balcony edge as they felt the building shake and groan as it got hit with the power surges.

Despite the fact that she was worried she might hurt someone, the tomboy felt something frightful and monstrous build up in her chest; feelings that now could no longer be suppressed after years of keeping them in - anger. And now in the face of one of the greatest beybattles she would ever experience: she was now not afraid to unleash it. "Go get him!" She commanded her beyblade, sending it at full throttle towards Dranzer.

"Look out Kai!" Tyson yelled, standing up as he spotted the blue eyed female moving in for the kill. Kai, hearing his team mate's cry, found that he been in a daze: once again he had been enraptured by the Total Eclipse team leader. Since he had last battled her, she had vastly improved on her skills and ability since then - she was no longer the potential. She was the best.

Grateful despite himself, for the Dragon blader's help, the bluenette snapped out of his daydream and prepared himself for the blow. "Dranzer! Blazing Gigs!" Sending his beyblade towards his opponent's, the battle was now in full swing and there was nothing to hold either of them back. As his beyblade hit the young Wilson's, she felt the full blast of the Phoenix as she held her ground against being knocked over by the constant power surges.

Spinning round each other viciously, the two beyblades were giving out everything that the two bladers had within them – each time there was contact, everyone felt the fire. By now, the dish was burning hot with the intensity of the match: both bladers were stood sweating as they continued to battle ferociously. _Now it's time to stop playing around, Kai! I've waited too long for this and if you won't finish it, __**I will!**_ The Winged Unicorn blader wasted no time in slamming her beyblade into her opponents, driving it up against the wall of the beydish.

"Dranzer!" The Russian gasped, looking in horror as he watched the blue metal being ground in by the sheer force of Cloud's blade – she was not going to make this easy, that was for sure. And then he felt it: why was he holding back? He was Kai Hiwatari – one of the best beybladers in the world and yet he was letting her push him around? He had to make her see that he had changed, that he was not the same person he was before – he had to! _Come on, Dranzer…we have to fight back! No turning back now!_

As he channeled the energy into his beyblade, Dranzer started to fight back, gradually pushing the other blade away from the wall of the beydish. "What?" Cloud whispered, her eyes widening slightly as she watched the bluenette starting fight back. For the first time since he had gotten here, she could see it – the fire in his eyes when he battled; the reaction she had been so longing to see, that would tell her that coming back here meant something to him. That this battle between them was important.

"Blazing Gigs Tempest attack!" The amethyst eyed teen roared, flames erupting from his beyblade as he unleashed his infamous attack of scarlet feathers on his opponent's beyblade – although the tomboy's blade moved quite quickly around most of them, it wasn't enough to eventually stop one that hit it to keep it in place.

"No!"

Seeing that he had her right where he wanted, the Phoenix blader moved in for the kill. "Finish her off now, Dranzer!" With all his might, he called the final blow, a beautiful array of red clustering together to make the last attack.

"Not so fast, Kai!" The brunette suddenly shouted – he looked up to see her dark eyes raging with fury as a glow of light started to light up around her body, her hair flying as though something bright and powerful was rising up inside her.

"What the –"

"Now Moonlight! Ignited Saviour!" This time, the blue eyed female's blade emitted sparks of fire that dissolved each feather, defusing her opponent's attack and rendering it utterly useless. Dranzer collided with Moonlight and bounced back, wobbling slightly as it took the impact from the defence. The petite female let out a small sigh as she saw that her beyblade was still spinning strong.

"What does Kai think he's doing? He's acting as though he can barely touch her when he knows he can better than her!" Max exclaimed from the sidelines, watching up at his teammates desperately. The Bladebreakers looked at each other helplessly, sharing the same worry – this battle was getting heavier by the minute; both players were getting tired from the pressure and neither of them were letting up.

"They've got to keep going - there's nothing we can do to stop them. All we can do is give Kai our full support and hope that his beyblade doesn't get smashed to pieces." Tyson murmured, watching his teammate with hope as he saw the constantly changing expressions on both players faces. He was beginning to realise, just like his older brother, that there was definitely more underneath the surface than just that maybe the pair of bladers once knew each other.

Jake looked at the rest of Total Eclipse, his golden eyes flashing as he watched their team leader channel every single bit of anger she had into that beyblade. Cass was sobbing loudly, unable to explain why she was crying; Mark was trying to hug her, looking grim as his green eyes started to well up too; Cal merely stared blankly into the distance, unable to look at them or the match.

The golden haired male wasn't sure what to do – by now, it was clear everyone from teen to adult could see where this match was going. And yet no one could do anything about it: in his eyes, he owed it to the young Wilson to let her continue the match. He knew that if he was in the same position, she would respect his wishes and let him continue until the end of the fight. And judging by the way the Dragon beyblader was watching the young Hiwatari, it was the same thing between the two males.

Looking back at the match, he could see beads of sweat breaking out on the Winged Unicorn blader's forehead – but the droplet of liquid that just dropped from her cheek, he definitely knew wasn't just sweat. For the first time in a long time, once again, she was in tears. All because of a certain dual haired beyblader.

"Come on Dranzer! Let's finish this!" Kai commanded, still going forward fighting. A light started to glow from within his bitchip, and before they all knew it, a magnificent phoenix rose from burning red and amber flames – Dranzer had risen in all his glory. For a moment, Cloud was staring up in awe, overwhelmed by the beauty of the bitbeast. He was just how she remembered him: dazzling, fiery, one with the sun, the complete majesty of the flames.

As the creature let out a loud cry, the tomboy was shaken out of her daze and finally decided to reveal her true colours. Closing her eyes and feeling herself connect with the power she possessed, her bitchip too began to glow – rising from mysterious blue flames came her own bitbeast: Moonlight.

The Bladebreakers gasped as they watched the creature awaken from its captivity, unable to believe what they were now seeing: it was a white unicorn, with wings that arched brilliantly above its head; the feathers a gorgeous shade of ocean blue, like the colour of its owner's eyes. In truth, never had they seen anything more fascinating to look at in a bitbeast. But judging by the way it was looking at the Phoenix with an angry glint in its eye – the creature was probably more dangerous than it looked on the outside.

The Russian was also mesmerized by Moonlight, remembering the way she would stand on her hind legs as she reared up, challenging anything that threatened her master. Whether he wanted to feel it or not, he was glad to have seen his opponent's bitbeast again – it brought back memories of a time when he knew that his friend and her bitbeast had potential. And now here they were fighting him with a strength he had never seen before.

Both bitbeasts began to fly high up into the sky, soaring towards the sun as its rays shone against them in a dazzling hue. Both bladers looked up, preparing themselves for the biggest attack that they could launch on each other as the Phoenix and the Winged Unicorn flew around each other gracefully, waiting for the right moment...

"DRANZER!"

"MOONLIGHT!"

The beyblades met in the centre of the dish once more with the most force both beybladers could give. As the power surges erupted at their strongest - knocking everyone watching down in the process - a blinding light clouded their vision as the Phoenix and the Winged Unicorn collided together, wings meshing together as a shower of red and blue feathers fell from the sky in their masses.

As the light disappeared, everyone could see the two beybladers still standing, their clothes fluttering gently as the power surges began to settle. Both of them were staring in shock at the dish, which had all but been destroyed. Within a blink of an eye, a flash of grey-blue metal flew out of the stadium at full throttle – slashing straight past Kai's arm, cutting it open. Dranzer was still spinning in the dish.

Cass gave a small scream as her hands flew to her mouth in distress as blood started to run down the young Hiwatari's pale muscular arm. He couldn't believe it – he had won the match! After going through all of that and nearly losing, he still won! His gaze shot up as he heard people approaching him, having not quite registered physically yet that he now had a deep wound on his arm.

"Kai! You alright, man?" Tyson gasped, the Bladebreakers rushing over to the bluenette as he stared dumbfounded at his arm. Before anyone could say anything else, a small hand reached out to grasp the uninjured arm and started to pull the stoic blader away from the gathering crowd.

The amethyst eyed teen blinked a bit as he saw Cloud pulling him gently but firmly through the mansion, her hand warm on his skin as they quickly went through the corridor towards a room what looked like the living room. There were 3 sofas surrounding a coffee table, with a wide screen television set up on a cabinet on the back wall. Steadily, the petite female guided him towards one of the seats and sat him down.

The Phoenix blader watched as the tomboy went into action as she briskly went to a cupboard and got out a large first aid kit. He forced himself not to chuckle – he remembered that first aid kit when she bought it: they had been 10 and were already experiencing more than just a couple of knocks and bruises; she had bought the kit in preparation. "I'd rather have it there than not – because if I ever end up with a knife in my leg, at least I've got something to clean up the mess." She had said playfully, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement as she had taken in his quizzical expression.

Kai quickly composed himself as the brunette approached him with a bowl of warm water and the first aid kit. He noticed the slight shake in her hand. "Give me your arm." She ordered quietly, her voice now having lost its harshness as she avoided looking him directly in the eye. Doing as she said, he let get on with cleaning the wound. As she slowly brought the cloth that had been soaked in the water to the gash, she began to gently press on it to stop the blood flow.

The Russian grunted slightly as a slightly sharp pain travelled up his arm. Looking up at him with concern hidden in her manner, the blue eyed female felt her heart thump as she watched his eyes flicker with discomfort. She had been beyond angry with him – but never enough to want to hurt him. It went against every moral in her body to injure someone during a sports match. Especially in anger. Of course, the damage had never been intentional. But she couldn't help feeling guilty about it.

She finished cleaning the wound and tossed the cloth into the bowl of warm water, reaching over to get some bandages from the first aid kit. "That was quite a match." She heard the bluenette comment, adding to the tension that was already hanging in the air. She said nothing as she pulled out a roll of dressing and looked back at his arm. Her hands were surprisingly soft as she inspected the wound.

Luckily there were no bits of metal stuck in his arm, thank goodness. The Winged Unicorn blader then went to wrap the bandage around the amethyst eyed teen's arm. "Hold this here." She asked him, pointing at the end of the dressing where it sat near his elbow. Complying, he let the petite female continue with wrapping it around couple of times before removing his fingers.

He knew she was blaming herself for the injury: the fact that she had been so quick to sort it out was her way of taking responsibility for something she thought she had been her fault. Even though it couldn't have been – he knew that one of their blades was going to leave the dish, and he knew that she would never do such a thing on purpose. "Cloud –"

"Done." She cut him off quickly, taping the end of the dressing in place and then starting to pack up the kit. The tension was now becoming unbearable as the young Wilson felt the Phoenix blader's dark eyes bore into her back as she put away the first aid kit. Forcing herself to stay composed, she turned back to him and looked at him with a somewhat expressionless face.

As their eyes met, Cloud felt her breath hitch in her throat. "You and your teammates are free to stay here if you wish. I will explain the ground rules in due course and I will find you separate bedrooms to sleep in. Training starts at 7am tomorrow morning." She finally spoke, her voice deliberately quiet. The battle had knocked energy out of both of them – the two knew each other well enough to spot the little nuances in their body language that showed their weariness.

Kai stood up slowly to his full height, allowing the tomboy to notice for the first time how much taller and muscular he had become. Had she been any other female, he was big enough to be intimidating. But he didn't fool her: she knew what he had been like, and he knew what he had to hide from the outside world. As much as he knew what she had to hide.

After a few moments of getting no more reaction from the brunette, the Russian gave a small, inaudible sigh. "Thank you." He replied eventually, giving her one last lingering look that she couldn't decipher, before slowly exiting the room. He didn't look back at her again as he continued to walk away, his scarf trailing behind him in an almost forlorn manner.

Closing her eyes, the blue eyed female leant against the wall and sank down to the floor, her knees drawn tightly against her chest. She stared blankly up at the ceiling, where the only light in the room was where the sun burned brightly through the glass of the window.

* * *

_**Piscesgirl09/xXxCometxXx:** Hey peeps! Here is Chapter 4 ready for a read - hopefully as you carry on reading you'll want to read even more...either that or I'm getting ahead of myself ^_^;;;;;;;; But anyways - stay tuned for Chapter 5 and hope you enjoy this one =) Cheers!_


	5. A Gathering Storm

_**The following said story 'Missing' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09. **_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennel belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
The additional individuals of the persons Cloud Wilson, Jacob Baldwin, Marcus Check and Callum Fennels autobiographies exclusively belong to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters autobiographies.  
The storyline of the story 'Missing' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'Missing' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas. I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**I, Piscesgirl09, do not own Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

_**Any who do so choose to plagiarise, copy or steal will in due course be struck off my Favourite Author's list if you do so exist on that very page. Any continuation to carry out the acts to plagiarise, copy and steal after warning will in due course be reported to the site FanFiction for an act felony.**_

_**If you wish to make a review and/or recommend my persons elsewhere, it is asked that you please do so with constructive advice for reviewing the work of Piscesgirl09 and/or to ask my express permission to recommending the person of Piscesgirl09 elsewhere other than the site of FanFiction.**_

_**Please read all of the above with due caution.**_

_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

In the dawn of the next morning, only one person ceased to be asleep as she softly padded out of the back door of the mansion's kitchen towards the swing seat in the garden, attached to two large oak trees. Cloud listened to the soft tweeting of the birds as she sat and watched the sun rise from behind the nearby trees, the sky a mesmerizing shade of lilac. It was moments like this when she would quietly sit and try to sort through the jumble of thoughts that clogged up her mind.

The tomboy then picked up her guitar that she had brought with her as she briefly contemplated a tune to play. A figure in the meantime looked out of the window and spotted her sat by herself in the cool of the morning, gazing at her with an unreadable expression as his eyes darkened with intensity. Gradually, a hand was raised and began strumming the guitar strings, moving to the mood of the atmosphere.

**It's the first time I've ever felt this lonely,  
Would someone cure this pain,  
It's funny when you think it's gonna work out,  
Till you chose weed over me,  
You're so lame,**

**I thought you were cool until the point,  
Up until the point you didn't call me,  
When you said you would,  
Finally figured out you're all the same,  
Always coming up with some kind of story...**

The brunette sang in almost complete oblivion, her face changing to something so sad and vulnerable that it was such a startling contrast to the usually cold, hard expression that she usually wore. The world she knew seemed to fade away, her nightmares slowly dissolving with the tranquillity of the morning, and anything that had once plagued her soul had gone away for the moment, to allow her to find some way of searching into herself for something she didn't know or was afraid to find in her conscious mind.

**Every time I try to make you smile,  
You always go feeling sorry for yourself,  
Every time I try to make you laugh,  
You can't you're too tough,  
You think you're loveless,  
Is that too much that I'm asking for...**

The figure in the window was completely transfixed by the blue eyed female – just by listening to her almost pensive voice that rung in an echo across the garden, he was being drawn into her world. Dark eyes observed her closely and keenly as he stretched out a pale hand towards the glass of the window, pushing gently against it to get a better view.

**Thought you'd come around when I ignored you,  
Sorta thought you'd have the decency to change,  
But babe I guess you didn't get that warning,  
Because I'm not about,  
To look at your face again,**

**Can't you see that you lie to yourself,  
You can't see the world through a mirror,  
It won't be too late when the smoke clears,  
'Cause I, I am still here...**

The Winged Unicorn blader was now playing with a somewhat pained passion, her emotions suddenly rising to the surface as her voice grew as strong as the sun rising in the west. The air hung light in the air as only the sound of music filled the atmosphere – it was like she was floating into a dream world where she was no longer afraid nor ashamed to show people for what she truly was – how she truly felt underneath her shell.

**Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,  
Can't find where I am,  
I'm lying here alone in fear,  
Afraid of the dark,  
No one to claim alone again,**

**Can't you see that you lie to yourself,  
You can't see the world through a mirror,  
It won't be too late when the smoke clears,  
'Cause I, I am still here**,

**But every time I try to make you smile,  
You always go feeling sorry for yourself,  
Every time I try to make you laugh,  
You can't you're too tough,  
You think you're loveless,  
It was too much that I'm asking for...**

The Total Eclipse captain then finished the last chord, taking a deep breath as everything remained quiet, tranquil. For a moment or two, she tipped her head back to soak up the rays of sunshine now scattering in speckles across the place as it shone through the trees – she felt herself open up to the nature surrounding and knew she was now strangely, oddly at peace. And then as quickly as it happened, the feeling disappeared and she closed up like a clam.

She knew what was a fantasy and what was reality: everything that was thought and feeling that had happened to her in one song could only seem to exist somewhere deep in her mind – but she now had work to do. As much as she hadn't exactly been expecting Mr Dickenson to suddenly dump new responsibilities on her, her pride and her honour made her feel obligated to assist the Bladebreakers in their training; after all, she consciously thought she good do with a new challenge. And now that she had two teams to organise and a schedule of training to complete, the reality of her life was that even though some may care – she couldn't stop: she had to keep going.

Yet up in the window, there was still the figure watching from the mansion above, a question lingering in his eyes. Eyes that could see Cloud for what she truly was. A lonely, hurting young girl who deserved far more than just the truth: she deserved the respect and the care that so many around her had failed to give; she deserved to achieve her goals after putting in countless hours of pure hard work and effort – but most importantly, she deserved someone to make her stop and think of her own happiness for once. Whether he was the right person to do so, he had yet to find out. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

* * *

"Everyone awake! Up, up, up – rise and shine my new birds! We have much to do today and little time to do it in – wakey, wakey!"

A startled Max and Kenny leapt out of bed in their room – the elder boy bumped his head on the bed side table whilst the younger tried to recover from the near heart failure. Ray and Hilary in their separate adjoining rooms yawned as they staggered ungracefully out of bed. Kai appeared to be the only one who had woken up before any of them already. Only Daichi and Tyson still managed to sleep through the wake up call, snoring loudly as they slept in a bundled mess of sheets and pyjamas. As the majority of the team met outside, they were greeted by a cheerful looking youth.

"Morning guys! Glad to see you all up – oh! Where's the other two? Tyson and Daichi, isn't it?" Mark chuckled as he watched them all stare at him in zombified silence, still clearly trying to recover from the 'early' morning racket – although 7:00am wasn't always considered within the criteria of early in this mansion. They all had yet to learn that the definition of early in this household was 3:00am in the morning.

The blond haired Bladebreaker gave a loud yawn as he stretched and rubbed his eyes sleepily, his baby blue eyes bleary as he tried to address the fellow male with some sort of reasonable response. "Probably still asleep – it takes ages to wake them up." He grumbled, trying to remind himself that the owner of the house was very much like a certain team mate he knew – so really the team should've seen it coming. Plus as they already knew, her reputation preceded her: things were going to be tough around her, and seeing as this was her house and her rules – they didn't have any option but to do as she told them.

Before the dark haired male could say anything else, a familiar figure thundered through the corridor with a bucket of water (presumably cold – judging by the bits of ice floating around in the liquid!) and strode briskly into the next door along from the American and IT Whiz's bedroom. There was an almighty splash followed by loud yelps of protest, before the figure appeared again dusting her hands.

"Next time when I say get them – I mean _all_ of them." Cloud stated coldly as she stormed past her team mate, not even sparing a glance at her new guests. As she continued her path down the stairs, the rest of the Bladebreakers gaped in shock at the way she was so quick in getting the two laziest members of the group up.

The green eyed Total Eclipse member grinned at the stunned look on the newcomer's faces as the sounds hissing and cursing came stumbling out of the door. "Those two should count themselves lucky: the last time we had people like that round for a week or so training, Cloud had them strung up outside – in the cold – dripping wet in their underwear, _upside down_ from a tree." He grinned, nudging the Chinese Bladebreaker in an attempt to get them to see that the people who lived in this mansion did have some kind of sense of humour – or at least stir some sort of hope that the group wouldn't suffer the same fate.

But that little story only made Kenny go very pale at the possibility.

By 7:30, everyone was at the breakfast table, chatting away and generally being a normal social gathering – Mr Dickenson, Grandpa and Hiro were sat at one end, pleasantly discussing how the culture of beyblading had changed since their generation. The teens were all scattered across the table, getting to know each other and occasionally laughing out loud at their silliness – only the likes of Kai and Cloud had their meal in complete silence as they refused to make eye contact with each other, despite the fact that they were sat to one side of each other.

The blue eyed female so far had been carefully observing the Bladebreakers: call it a habit or a hobby, one of the first things she had to satisfy for herself whenever she considered training anyone was assessing their strengths, their weaknesses and anything else about their character that would play a crucial role in how they beybladed. Whether she liked it or not, she accepted that every blader had different needs that had to be met, and that as their key instructor for however long it took, she made sure that they had to make progress and if that meant having to continually vary the training to find something that worked – then she would do it.

Her gaze first went to the fellow team captain, Tyson – his strengths clearly lay in his confidence and his stubborn refusal to see any other way than his beyblading. Admirable, as that was what seemed to carry him through the hardships to get the title that was for the most part reasonably well deserved; however his let down was definitely his lack of attention to details about other's blading technique, as well as any sense of discipline, which ultimately made his consistency against newer and perhaps tougher opponents anything but regular.

Next was Daichi – his bold, daring nature gave him credit, and the fact that he was so young gave him plenty of scope for improvement in the future, particularly when people weren't always prepared to take him seriously - though he still had yet to control his immaturity, as that certainly didn't add anything to his technique, being only about 13 years old; furthermore, his lack of experience in blading globally with other's who had been doing it since his age was another thing that would not benefit him a great deal.

Then came Max – permanently optimistic and always having an eye for unique new ways of beyblading, the blue eyed female knew that his edge when people battled him would be his preparation beforehand in being constructive with his strategy and coming up with new tricky ways to make the other blader get around his challenges; his innovation however seemed to make him slightly naive towards being realistic about his opponents and seemed more prone to diving into a new idea without thinking about it in more depth when it came to the bigger picture.

Ray on the other hand would have to be the most mentally stable of the group, and seemed to be the least prone in letting his emotions affect him in any way; he was very level headed in his opinions of his opponents and had very good perceptions of what they achieve as well as what they expected – but having seen how he made mistakes in trying to second guess his opponent's strategies and appeared to work a lot better in tag team battles, it was clear that work was perhaps needed in teaching him how to fend for himself against unpredictable challengers.

As the platonic female of the group, Hilary had a well grounded and respected place on the team as their manager, where her no nonsense manner kept the boys under control - and her organisational skills were near enough to the standards that the Wilson mansion would achieve, which would certainly go down well with the majority of the household! However, the blue eyed female knew that the two would clash over that bossy nature of hers, and it would certainly be hard for them to tolerate each other's straightforwardness.

And last but certainly not least was Kenny – the boy most definitely had a very well stocked up brain that had plenty of knowledge filled in there, and his years of studying the mechanics of beyblading (as she had overhead in his conversations with Cal) was most impressive. But considering that the boy seemed to cower in her presence whenever she even came with 10 metres, it was clear that his confidence and his drive needed to be maximised – especially if he was going to consider beyblading with the top dogs in the next tournament.

Satisfied that she had done her observations, the petite British girl brought her attention back to her breakfast, deciding whether she was actually hungry or not. She looked up to see some of the younger boys goofing around – Mark, Max and Tyson now seemed to have confused what was on their plates for being decorative features to place on their faces. Pulling a disgusted expression, she firmly decided that she would have to eat – because judging by the silliness that had now been brought into her home, she was going to need the energy to deal with it.

"What was the song you sang this morning?" A deep voice distracted the brunette from her thoughts, her head turning sharply to meet the ever intense stare of the Russian. She didn't know what to say to that: first of all she was mildly surprised that someone was up early as she was in the morning, and had caught her singing at the time when her defences were down; and second of all, she couldn't quite believe that he was still demonstrating an interest in her music – particularly as she had made it clear that she hated him.

_**No you don't...**_She could hear a mystical voice creep into her mind, warmth coming as though the breath of the owner of the voice was made of fire. Sighing mentally, the Winged Unicorn blader felt her eyes shut – as much as she respected her bitbeast's long years of experience and wisdom, the shock of a once friend now returning without word or explanation on her doorstep wasn't something she had gotten over yet – so having the great spirit trying to tell her otherwise just wasn't something she was prepared to listen to at the moment. _**Moonlight, now is not the time for your input. Go.**_ She commanded her bitbeast sternly, earning only a slight snort of indignation as the legendary creature obeyed its command.

"Too Much To Ask, by Avril Lavigne." The young Wilson finally answered, her voice quiet as she kept her eyes ahead, looking carefully at the rest of the youngsters to make sure they weren't listening in. And secretly, she couldn't somehow find the courage to make the eye contact – for she knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to look away again. The bluenette smiled slightly, despite the tension in the room - he wasn't surprised at the song choice. The angsty, edgy style suited her, and if he dare say so, the version she sang this morning showed off her voice very well.

Shifting in his seat, the amethyst eyed teen kept looking at Cloud as she continued staring aimlessly at her breakfast. He cleared his throat. "It sounded good." He commented awkwardly, stumbling towards a rare compliment as he felt himself cringe – as much as he was being sincere, he wasn't sure if he was going to get a positive or negative reaction – heck, he wasn't sure he wanted one, given the current atmosphere.

Cloud slowly turned her head to look at the Phoenix blader, her eyes unblinking as she seemed to take a measure of how genuine he was being. Seeing there was nothing other than pure interest, she slowly let her features relax slightly as a familiar curve tugged threateningly at her lips. "Thank you." She finally responded in a voice that was considerably softer than the tone she had used so far towards virtually everyone who had even so much as looked at her since yesterday afternoon.

Returning the gesture with one of his small and rare smiles, the young Hiwatari said nothing more as he closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He inwardly heaved a sigh of relief as he cracked open his eyelids a bit to watch the tomboy continue to eat her breakfast, noting that she wasn't as tense next to him as she had been a few moments ago – it was a step, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. There was still a long way to go before their relationship could go back to the way it had once been.

* * *

The facial expressions the brunette was now receiving were quite a classic, really – though she wasn't sure why this particular group had somehow managed to spike her sense of humour so much that she could've sworn her eyes were dancing by now. She supposed, thinking about it now, that it was because they were the World Champion beyblading team: so it was quite ironic that she was putting them under strict training, as though they were like beginners! "I take it everyone understands what is being asked of you?" She asked, keeping her voice as brisk as possible so that her amusement was not given away.

The Bladebreakers just couldn't believe what they had just heard. 35 laps of the training yard? 30 sit ups? Stretches? The bleep test? Launching? An obstacle course? Practice matches? _**WAS THIS WOMAN CRAZY?! **_

"Do we really need to do the bleep test?" Kenny piped up faintly, his face now grey with worry at the thought of being torn away from his beloved laptop for the day to do...physical exercise. Raising an eyebrow, the blue eyed female motioned for Cal to come forward – in his hands sat none other than the IT whiz's most prized possession. Mouths dropped open as if to say how the hell did they manage to get hold of that without anyone knowing.

"I suggest if you want to be seeing this again before too long, you better get to your training pretty sharpish. And for another thing, no amount of technology will ever prove your fitness: if you want useful information to help improve your physical well being – start by seeing if you can finish a lap without collapsing like you've run a marathon." The Winged Unicorn blader stated, satisfied to see that the younger boy kept his mouth shut, clearly deciding that perhaps it was time to buckle up and take it like a man. "Very well then. Off you go." She commanded, dismissing the youths with a flick of her hand although she beckoned Hilary to follow her as she had some separate tasks for her to do. Only Kai remained silent and went off promptly to complete the training.

To him, this was exactly as he had anticipated the training to be: as he had told Mr Dickenson in the beginning, he had run these sorts of activities with the young Wilson before – he knew what she was looking for during this stage, which was that she could see which people acted off their own initiative and which ones waited for instruction. It was a very subtle yet ingenious way of testing people's sense of independence and responsibility, and already he could see that there would be loads of notes taken where his team mates were concerned – for they were still stood mumbling away to each other in confusion as they wondered what they were supposed to do next with the instructions they had been given.

"Is she out of her mind?! I'll be dead by the time this is over! What is this place? A Nazi concentration camp?!" Tyson growled irritably as he kicked the ground in frustration – the perfect imitation of a child whose candy had just been taken away from him. Though by now at nearly 16 he really ought to know that life wasn't always fair. He then looked to see Mark looking at him with a quizzical frown, as though he not only questioned the validity of the complaint, but also didn't really approve of it either.

"Mate, that's really not funny: you need to chill out! Cloud ain't that bad – there's a very good reason why she tells you to do these things, and you know that her methods are successful – plus also, this surely can't be much different from your usual training regime?" He spoke up at last, looking slightly uncomfortable with having to point out that what the navy haired teen had just said was bordering on him getting a proper beating if the petite British girl had heard him say it.

"Not that we're driven like slave traders! How does she expect us to do this much work? It's not like we're not gonna be here after just a week!" The brown eyed male continued to push his point, earning heavy sighs from his team mates surrounding him – as much as they could somewhat agree with his comments, this was beginning to show them up now, particularly as the likes of Cass and Cal were now looking over at them as though they were young children that needed to be put into time out to calm down.

"Maybe so, but comparing Cloud to the likes of the Nazis is actually quite offensive – especially as her grandpa is the son of a Nazi war criminal and not only that, he was also forced to be part of the Hitler Youth when he was younger. Cloud may be harsh at times, but she certainly isn't like that monstrosity – even you know that." The pixie-like faced female explained a bit; although her voice was neutral, it was clear to everyone that she like the rest of her team was not very impressed with the likes of the World Champion making such insensitive and inaccurate statements.

Flushing red with embarrassment, the Japanese Bladebreaker scratched his head as his expression went slightly sheepish. "Hey, look guys – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so extreme with the comment. But seriously! This is our first day, and already our training programme is like we're professional gym members. I know our fitness is important, but don't you think it's a little too much right now?" He tried to sound apologetic, although still stubbornly sticking to his point as he watched the Total Eclipse members relax under the acknowledgement that the comment he had made wasn't meant in malice.

"Perhaps if you listened to what she said just now about getting on with it so you get it out of the way, you wouldn't be making silly comments." Jake spoke up from one side, having now returned from receiving instructions from his team captain. Again, the blond and black haired males of the group exchanged a mutual look to say that the words had just been taken out of their mouths – although the comment still didn't do anything to ease the awkward tension hanging in the air.

"We see your point – but it's not exactly easy to remember the order Cloud wants us to all of this training in, let alone get it done under the time she probably wants it done in." The American blader pointed out timidly, his team mates nodding in agreement at this thought – as far as they understood, whatever they didn't finish today would be added to the next day's training: now the thought of slipping behind was definitely a more worrying thought – especially if they knew that they would be exhausted by the time they were finished!

The brown eyed female looked at her boyfriend and the two raised their eyebrows at each other once they caught their stares. "Since when did Cloud give you all an order and a time frame to complete your training by in those instructions she just gave you?"

There was a pause as the Bladebreakers slowly started to decode in their minds what had just been said to them. "Cloud hasn't set us an order or a time frame?" The Chinese blader repeated stupidly, mimicking the rest of the group's reactions. They just couldn't understand why the young Wilson had just given them what they needed to do and left it at that: was this some kind of trick? After all, her training was reputedly one of the hardest programmes in the beyblading world – so what was she up to now in letting them do their training virtually on their own at such an early stage?

The short dark haired Total Eclipse member gave a chuckle as he walked over and patted the Dragon blader on the shoulder. "Guys, if she wanted something done in a specific order, be assured she will tell you how! Just listen to her and you'll find your way!" He said cheerfully, before walking away with his own team mates to go and complete some training, leaving the World Champion stunned.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Kenny gave a tired moan as his body threatened to collapse at any moment – and he wasn't the only one. Max was flushed scarlet with trying to push his way through some his last sit ups. Daichi was staggering through his last 10 laps of jogging. Ray's face was contorted slightly with pain as he started going through his stretches. Tyson was stood panting heavily as he tried to control his beyblade enough to avoid the obstacles set in front of him. Kai was the only one who had paced himself enough that he could only just feel the slight strains of his body as he began the last quarter of his training.

Cloud was sat in the meantime with the Bladebreaker team manager, where the two of them had been watching the boys closely, making continual notes on their progress throughout the day. She and the rest of Total Eclipse had dished out the occasional piece of advice, as well as making sure that there hadn't been any slacking – as expected, she knew that by now the feeling of exhaustion was now beginning to kick in. The first day was always tough for the people she trained in her experience: purely because she threw them in the deep in end from the start.

"Hilary – tell me: what have you noticed today throughout the boys training? Anything particularly relevant that has caught your eye." The tomboy suddenly asked the ruby eyed female sat beside her, who promptly looked up at the elder female, whose arms were crossed as she stood watching the activity. Swallowing, she nervously looked at the notes that had been made and scanned them for something that would be helpful towards the answer to the question. She cleared her throat as she opened her mouth to answer.

"Well...Daichi seems to be doing very well with the jogging – though the sit ups seem to be his weak points." The Japanese female started hesitantly, looking again at the Total Eclipse team leader, who still hadn't moved an inch from her spot. There was a nod that signified for her to continue.

"Ray makes really good progress with the stretching, but he could do better with the launching. Max is completely the opposite: his launches are near on perfect, though I should think he definitely needs more work when it comes to stretching. Kenny's doing really well with the whole thing, considering he doesn't really do the exercise – but for the most part his stamina is really low." There was another pause as the brunette waited for the Winged Unicorn blader to respond.

"Continue."

"Tyson really seems to be getting the hang of the obstacle courses – though you can definitely tell he hates the jogging! Kai, well, he always does great with the training because he always just gets on with it and paces himself really well – I think for him, it's just a case of stretching him a bit more to really test him." The Bladebreaker manager finished, looking nervously down at the notes again hoping that she had said the right thing - the young Wilson's silence was beginning to make her feel slightly uneasy, and having witnessed the less than desirable temper displayed yesterday, that was enough for her to think that maybe it wasn't a good idea to start bossing people around.

As it had been made clear yesterday, whether the Bladebreakers were established champions or not, that did not matter to the petite British girl at all: as far as she was concerned, they could be the fucking Queen and that would make no difference as to whether who was in charge here. On the contrary to Hilary's lack of belief in her answer, she thought that the fellow female had given very true and very accurate statements on the current data that had been recorded, which merely confirmed what she had already assessed from the team. As she knew that the Russian would've known, this was an exercise to prove whether they had any idea about how to make training benefit them by working to their own timetables – and so far, only one member had shown the most initiative. But as ever, that fact came as no surprise to her.

"Make some more notes. I'll gather them up for the next stage." The brunette finally responded, moving briskly away before any question were asked. As she approached the training area, she could see all of the boys slowly look up to see her walking towards them. They all silently groaned to themselves as they stopped what they were doing and made their way to meet her, dreading what she was going to make them do next.

The blue eyed female regarded them with hidden admiration as she watched them come towards her without complaint: whatever had been said about her or whatever they thought of her, they had worked hard and managed to complete most of the training with reasonable results. And they also had respect, which was something she rarely found in the trainees that came here – most of the time, the youngsters had to be reminded quite often that she would not tolerate being treated like she didn't know what she was doing. The Bladebreakers? They had surpassed her expectations in that regard, and thus she felt herself develop a growing respect for them.

"Tell me Bladebreakers: why do you think I set out all of these exercises for you? What do you think happened as a result?" She asked, hiding her amusement as they gaped at her in shock. Clearly they had been expecting her to make them do some more exercises – but in that moment, they all realised why in the end her training regime was very successful: even though it was hard work and she didn't appear to have very much sympathy to their complaints, she wasn't cruel at heart. Otherwise why had she not been at them like a slave driver?

"Well...if I was being honest – I really don't why you set them. But they did make me think a lot about it though." The Japanese blader spoke up, scratching his head sheepishly as he met Cloud's sharp gaze. Nodding slightly, she brought her attention back to rest of the World Champion team, not really noticing that the rest of Total Eclipse were now coming to join them.

"Ok. So why did it make you think?" The tomboy questioned further, trying to push the rest of the group to think for themselves and answer independently. The group looked to each other for a moment, not really sure how to respond – because they knew that she wasn't a very predictable character, they weren't sure whether this was a test to find the right answer or merely an open discussion. If they wanted to be frank with themselves, none of them really wanted to put themselves out to get shot down.

The Chinese blader swallowed. "Because we had to make our own routines – it was quite difficult trying to think of how to order it and knowing when we needed to take a break."

"I found it hard because I didn't really know what exercises I was better at and which ones I really needed to improve on." The blond haired male commented, rubbing his sore arms where he had been trying to stretch without pulling a muscle.

The redhead pulled a face. "The exercises were fine – except I found things like the stretching and the sit ups really boring; the jogging and the obstacle course was quite good though – I really liked those!" He added, hoping that the Winged Unicorn blader wouldn't take offense to the fact he had his own preferences.

The Chief shifted nervously on his feet, looking up at the Total Eclipse captain very shyly as she looked down at him, waiting for him to say something. "I just found everything really hard – but it felt good to be able to do it for myself though! Sometimes doing the same thing altogether gets quite tedious because we all do different things better than others, so we could do everything at our own pace." He said quietly, blushing bright red with the direct attention.

Again, the young Wilson was impressed with the answers – they were thoughtful and constructive. Also, she now had a better idea as to what they needed in their training to benefit them. "Good. You've now completed your first lesson. Go and take a proper break, then you can come back and complete the rest of the training for today." She concluded, keeping her voice practical and down to business as she dismissed the team, before walking away and leaving the team with Total Eclipse.

The Bladebreakers just didn't know what to say. Mark grinned as he moved towards them. "So guys – see what we mean when we say just listen to her?" He asked kindly, watching as the group of teens stared at him blankly, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"Well, we certainly weren't expecting that...I suppose we half expected her to make us carry on." The American blader flushed slightly, mirroring the team's embarrassment. They now realised that they had wronged the petite British girl by judging her so harshly – although it had been a tough first day, she had shown herself to be quite fair towards them. It wasn't like she had banned them from taking care of their essential needs like eating, drinking, sitting down when it got too much – in fact it wasn't like she had set many boundaries in the first place! About all she seemed to expect from them was that they put in the effort.

Jake gave them a friendly smile. "Don't worry about it! She may have a badass attitude at times, and that's hard to see past. But whether you guys realise it or not, you have really earned her respect: it's very rare that she speaks to the people she trains without being irritated because they haven't done it or complained about it the whole way." He explained with sincerity, gradually putting the World Champions at ease.

"I guess we really shouldn't have expected anything from her. And actually, I'm kinda glad we did this kind of training today – it's been a really good experience trying to find out how to do it ourselves." The navy haired teen murmured thoughtfully, his team mates nodding in agreement.

"At least we know she doesn't expect us to go without food – I'm getting really hungry." The emerald eyed Bladebreaker cringed as his tummy growled loudly, the rest of the teens laughing a bit as they looked sympathetically at the younger male.

"Ah they'll be plenty of food, Daichi! Look at the size of this place – we'll be absolutely fine!" The Dragon blader declared confidently as he patted his team mate on the shoulder, feeling his own mouth water at the thought of getting some more of that delicious food, particularly as breakfast had been more than satisfactory!

Cal gave a smirk. "Believe it or not, Cloud herself can have a very impressive appetite herself – so you better get in and get the grub before she does." He threw in casually, amusement lighting up his usually impassive face as the two hungriest males of the group went white with shock and quickly ran off towards the mansion to make sure that they also had their fair share of lunch.

As everyone else made their way to start their meal, the Russian walked behind them a little bit, thinking deeply about the events of this morning. As much as he knew that he had done well with the training today, he knew that he was under the scrutiny of the blue eyed female: as her eyes had scanned the group during their discussion, he wasn't sure whether her lack of attention towards him was because she thought he had completed everything that she asked for well or whether he needed to do better.

Either way, he knew that the proof would be in the upcoming bleep test and then the practice matches – only then would he be able to prove to her that despite whatever had happened between them in the past, and however much he was a different guy from what he used to be, he still found a very well founded value in her training...and he still believed in her.

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_**Piscesgirl09/xXxCometxXx:** Finally! Next chapter up and ready to go - sorry it's been so long updating with all my stories; school work and everything is starting to mount up now - but hopefully I can still keep completing these chapters gradually! Though having said that, no wonder it takes so long: 6000 words again O.o; Oh well! Hopefully that means it keeps everyone happy by giving you all plenty to read - keep up with the feedback peeps, they are always welcome and I hope you all enjoy this one =) Cheers!_


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